I am just fascinated by social media. For those businesses that aren’t part of this new media, you will be left behind and so will your services and products. The only way to begin is to start. I was very apprehensive at first; not sure of myself at all. But I recommend that you just jump right into the pool.
Social media could be considered the fourth revolution of technology. The first revolution occurred in the 1970s with the mainframe, 1980s the PC, 1990s the Internet, and the fourth is today’s social networking. This type of networking is simply the connecting of people and creating an online social graph. The fifth revolution will be encapsulating and using this new information.
Most businesses have some form of advertising. At one time the advertising industry was all about creating and designing copy, duplicating it, and with a good distribution list reaching the customer. Adding radio and TV to the mix just increased awareness. It was the advertising industry that set the trend and told consumers what to buy. Depending on the plan, it was pretty costly.
It’s vastly different today. And if your business is not part of the social network, it will not move forward. The cost is minimal and you can focus on a small specific market… like poodles, telescopes, screwdrivers, or Aloe plants. You can form a small community and maybe make a profit through advertising and product sales.
What’s it all about. It’s people talking to people about products and services. It’s the new twist on “word-of-mouth” and it is growing rapidly. Try creating a group on Facebook and talk about your product. Soon others will join and add their stories and probably some photos, too. Start a blog and invite others to join you. Remember you don’t create the content; you create the conversations. And conversations lead to communities and to brand loyalty and sales.
Facebook statistics
According to Facebook, it has more than 300 million active users and 50 percent log on to Facebook in any given day. The fastest growing demographic are those 35 years plus. The average user has 130 friends on the site. Worldwide more than eight billion minutes are spent on Facebook each day. More than two billion pieces of content, (Web links, news stories, blogs, notes, photos, etc.) are shared each week. Over 45 million active user groups or communities exist on the site. Considering international growth? There are more than 70 translations available on the site. And there are more than one million developers and entrepreneurs from more than 180 countries. Mobile bound? There are over 65 million active users currently using Facebook through a mobile device.
There are other social networks, Twitter, LinkedIn, MySpace, YouTube, but Facebook is a good place to start.
To help you understand more about Facebook, visit http://www.facebook.com. Take a look on how to build a platform, use the marketplace, link to your Web site, or just chat. There are many good books available, such as The Facebook Era, by Clara Shih or Viral Loop by Adam L. Penenberg. Or, take a class at your local college and learn more.
